Kerala: Veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy passed away this morning. He was 79 years old. He was undergoing treatment in Bangalore for the last few months. His son gave this information through a social media post. He served as the Chief Minister of Kerala during the period 2004–2006, 2011–2016. Kerala Congress President K. Sudhakaran has expressed grief over the death of Oommen Chandy by tweeting. He tweeted that former Chief Minister of Kerala and senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy has passed away. He wrote that the story of a king who conquered the world with the power of love had a poignant ending. Today, I am deeply saddened by the demise of a great man. He impacted the lives of countless individuals and his legacy will forever resonate in our souls. It is known that Oommen Chandy was ill for a long time. His health had deteriorated since the year 2019. Chandy was taken to Germany after he developed a throat-related illness. He has represented the Puthupalli constituency in the state assembly since 1970. His son Chandy Omman informed about his father’s demise through a social media post at around 5 am on Tuesday morning.
He used to contest elections from his hometown Puthupalli in Kottayam district. He won the assembly elections for 12 consecutive times. He was a mass leader and was appreciated for his close contacts with the people. The public contact program organized during his tenure as Chief Minister resulted in immediate redressal of long pending grievances of hundreds of people. He also served as a minister in the K Karunakaran and AK Antony governments and held the portfolios of Finance, Home and Labour. Chandy was made AICC general secretary in 2018. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011. Chandy is survived by wife Mariamma Oomman, son Chandy Oomman and daughters Maria and Achu.